Her Journey Begins
by stella-pegasi
Summary: On the day when his most important mission is about to begin, Alteran Colonel John Sheppard has to deal with a spurned lover.


**Title:** **Her Journey Begins**

**Author**: _stella_pegasi_

**Rating: **K +

**Genres: ** Alternate Reality

**Word Count: **2,080

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Mention of past relationships, current romance.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Elizabeth Weir, Teyla Emmagan, Steven Caldwell, Rodney McKay, Evan Lorne, Original Character

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Summary: **On the day when his most important mission is about to begin, Alteran Colonel John Sheppard has to deal with a spurned lover.

**Author's Notes:** Written for LiveJournal Community Stargateland Challenge: _Alternate Realities. _ Since this was AU, I took some liberties with a couple of well-loved characters and made them considerably darker. It was fun.

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><p><strong>Her Journey Begins<strong>

_By stella_pegasi_

Colonel John Sheppard hurried down a crowded corridor of the outpost's government building. With an estimated two hours until launch, there were more pressing issues to attend to, but it wasn't wise to ignore a summons by a Regent of the High Command. No matter how much he wanted to ignore it.

"Colonel, good to see you, sir," the guard posted outside the regent's chambers smiled at the tall, lanky colonel, as he tapped the comlink on his wristband and announced Sheppard's arrival. He waved his hand across the sensor, "Go on in, sir; they are waiting for you."

Sheppard nodded thanks, took a deep breath, and walked through the door. He immediately felt a measure of relief when he saw Colonel Carter was present; at least, he had one friend in the chamber. As for the other three present, friends, they were not. Colonel Steven Caldwell, accompanied by his executive officer, Major Teyla Emmagan, had made no secret that he desired Sheppard's command. Caldwell had made his anger known when General Jack O'Neill had denied him the post. However, his true nemesis was standing by the window, gazing out over the outpost and the bay beyond.

Sheppard made cursory greetings to the others and at the sound of his voice, Regent Elizabeth Weir turned toward him, her face revealing her disdain. "Well, the big day is here, colonel; I thought I would give you an opportunity to gloat before you depart the planet."

"No gloating from me, I have too much to do before launch. What did you want to discuss, regent?" Sheppard attempted to keep his voice even, he preferred to not to fuel Weir's anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight smile cross Carter's face.

"I called you here, Colonel Sheppard, to remind you of your position. Although you will be commanding one of the largest ships in the fleet, do not let that go to your head. You still report to the High Command, a fact that you seem to forget when it is convenient." She walked away from the window, approaching him.

He remained stoic, keeping his expression neutral, "Regent; I'm a colonel in the Alteran Space Command. I haven't forgotten who I report to; I believe that would be General O'Neill."

Weir's eyes flared with anger, and Sheppard resisted the temptation to laugh. Nothing like a woman scorned to be pissed when she's been defeated at her own game. She stared at him for a moment and then walked to her desk, and sat down. She picked up a data crystal lying on her desk and offered it to Sheppard.

"I have been ordered to inform you that there is a change in command of the fleet support group that will be accompanying you. Colonel Caldwell received a reassignment as part of the security force protecting the Alteran home world. Colonel Carter is now in command of your support group."

Sheppard did not attempt to hide his pleasure at Weir's announcement, "That's good news, for all of us. Colonel Carter is an excellent officer and I am pleased to have her with us." He turned toward Caldwell, "Colonel, best of luck in your new _assignment_."

Caldwell ignored Sheppard's good wishes, replying curtly, "I would offer you good luck in your assignment, Sheppard, but you are going to need more than luck to survive."

Caldwell was seething but in control, he was always in control, yet as he spoke, sarcasm dripping in his voice, Sheppard could hear the rage simmering under the surface. They both were well aware that Caldwell's reassignment was a slap in the face. While protecting the home world was important, the defense system in place was more than adequate to protect the planet. No, O'Neill recalling Caldwell to Altera Prime was his way of keeping the caustic colonel under his thumb. Not a place Sheppard would ever want to be.

"Colonel, I have faith in my crew and in Colonel Carter's excellent military skills, I think we can make our own luck."

Caldwell took a step toward Sheppard, his hands curling into fists. Emmagan grabbed his arm, whispering, "Colonel, now is not the time; you will have your chance." As she muttered to Caldwell, her left eyebrow raised to a sinister arch as she glared at Sheppard, her hatred for him displayed for all to see.

Weir stood up, "Colonel Carter, you are dismissed."

Carter nodded to Sheppard, "Colonel, I'll return to the Odyssey, and we will be on-board within the hour." She turned to the others, "Regent Weir, colonel, captain," then left the chambers.

Glancing at Colonel Caldwell, Weir continued, "You and your aide are also dismissed." Without a word, the pair left the room, Emmagan throwing Sheppard a vicious glare before she closed the door behind them.

Weir laughed, "Well, well…it appears that Teyla hates you as much as I do. I suppose you used her for your own pleasure and tossed her away, as well?"

"No, never touched the woman, but not because she didn't offer, repeatedly. However, I don't share, Elizabeth; you should know that."

"Ah….the honorable Colonel John Sheppard, whose moral compass is so centered that he never deviates from the path of righteousness, yet we both know better don't we? " She had moved until she was inches from him, and whispered, "You don't like to share."

Her fingers played along the angular slope of his jaw, tracing across his lips, "You could have had anything you wanted if you had stayed with me. But no, you walked away because of a little indiscretion; you are excessively sensitive, John. This is the real world, relationships are not meant to be so singular. I wouldn't have minded if you had indulged in other women, or men, whatever turned your fancy, as long as you were exclusively mine in the eyes of the world. You could have had it all, the cushiest assignments, the finest of everything, and you could have had me." She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in to kiss him, but he pushed her away. When he released her, she struck him across his face.

"You ungrateful bastard; I made you, I saved you when you were nearly court-martialed for insubordination. You owe me."

"Elizabeth, we both know that General O'Neill was the one who kept my career intact. A career, if I remember correctly, that wouldn't have been in danger if you hadn't lied about what happened. Caldwell was the one who should have been punished, but you protected him over me, because you were sleeping with him, as well as with me. A fact that you didn't want me to know, did you? You wanted to keep all your playthings and use us to your own advantage." She drew her hand back to slap him again, but he grabbed her wrist, his eyes dark.

"Don't even think about doing that again. The problem is not the fact that I have a moral compass, Elizabeth; it's that you don't. Now, I have work to do, big day after all."

Sheppard spun away, uncertain if turning his back on Elizabeth was a good decision. He half expected to feel the sharp stab of a dagger between his shoulder blades. Just as he raised his hand toward the scanner, she spoke, her voice, her dagger.

"You've lost, she's not coming aboard, John; I made certain that her orders were changed. The lovely Isabella, the love of your life, has been reassigned to that extremely remote outpost in the Corinay galaxy. So you are off on you little adventure without your lover, such a sad development."

He turned around slowly, and walked back to her, "Sorry to spoil your fun, but General O'Neill intercepted those orders. Doctor Isabella Renaire arrived last night to assume her post as Dr. McKay's deputy director. You lose, Regent Weir." He stared at her for a moment, his green eyes filled with hate, then headed for the door.

Pausing before he opened the door, he added, "You might want to watch your back, Caldwell is sleeping with Emmagan. On one of the occasions when she tried to seduce me, she told me she didn't like his involvement with you and was going to put an end to it. I would take care if I was you, Elizabeth. Emmagan's vicious, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And what she wants is Caldwell all to herself." He saw the slight flash of fear in her eyes, and with that left, the door sliding shut behind him.

As he left the outpost, crossing the long covered pedway to his destination, John Sheppard felt the trappings of bureaucracy and politics sliding off his shoulders. He hated what was happening to the Alterans. For eons, they had been the most advanced race in the universe, but as other races continued to grow, factions promoting their own agenda were dividing the Alterans. He was pleased that he was going to be out of the fray for a long time. Their mission, and that of their sister ships, was to explore the universe, seeding life on barren worlds and bringing technology to cultures ready to receive it. The goal was a stable universe full of enlightened inhabitants. A lofty goal, perhaps an unrealistic goal, but one he felt was worth pursuing.

The control room was a hive of activity when Sheppard arrived. He could hear his Science Department director, Dr. Rodney McKay, barking out orders from somewhere, his X-O, Major Evan Lorne was busy keeping the military personnel out of McKay's way.

"Colonel, there you are, sir; I was beginning to think we might have to mount a rescue," Lorne grinned.

Sheppard chuckled, "I wasn't so certain there for a moment myself, major. Is he done?"

A disembodied voice floated up from underneath a console, "_He_ can hear you." McKay struggled to his feet, "To answer your question, I'm done. There is nothing left to do; all diagnostics are a go, everything's 'nominal' to use your military lingo."

"So, this is it; we're ready to go."

McKay grinned, "Yes...yes, we are. She's waiting for you."

Sheppard shook McKay and Lorne's hand, uttered good job to the control room staff, and ordered Lorne to retract the pedways and notify launch control of their imminent departure. He ran down the stairs and to the nearest transporter and within a few minutes, he arrived at the chamber where she was waiting.

Dr. Isabella Renaire was alone, standing in front of a console, monitoring the power readings. Her dark blond hair fell softly around her shoulders, her petite frame revealing her alluring curves. His heart skipped a beat when he realized how close Weir had come in her plan to keep Isabella from this assignment, from him. O'Neill had prevented that from happening, and he would be grateful to the general for the rest of his life. He couldn't…wouldn't have left on this mission without her.

Slipping up behind her, he slid his arms around her waist, and buried his face in her neck. She sighed, "Don't think I didn't know you were there." Isabella turned to face him, her dark forest green eyes glittering as she gazed up at the much taller colonel, "Should I check you for wounds after your meeting with the regent?"

His eyes betrayed his desire, "No wounds, but later, you can check all you want. Right now, I believe we have something more important on the agenda.

"Yes, colonel, I agree, we do and…" He silenced her with a kiss, pressing her body against his; he deepened the kiss as she responded, her arms encircling his neck. As he gently drew away, she made a mewing sound, not wanting his touch to end.

Isabella leaned her head against his chest for a moment before she softly reminded him, "John, the other woman in your life is ready for you."

Sheppard smiled and walked to the control chair. As he sat down, the chair reclined, bathing the room in a brilliant aqua glow.

A soft voice echoed in his mind, "Colonel, is it time?"

He whispered softly, "Yes, Atlantis, it's time; time to journey to the stars."

Under Sheppard's guidance, the majestic city-ship Atlantis flew from the surface of the bay, her sleek, new spires gleaming in the sun. As she departed Alteran Seven, Atlantis and her crew embarked on their maiden voyage, unknown adventures to come.

_The end…_

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><p>Thanks for reading. I hope you liked this "Alternative Realities"departure from my normal fare; I had fun giving the 'ladies' a bit different persona, apart from their normal behavior.<p>

PS…I am about 7,000 words into the next _Road Trip_ segment. Real life obligations and some LJ challenges aside, I expect to have the next installment of _Road Trip_ posted by next weekend. Thanks for all your notes asking about _Road Trip_. I love hearing from you and so happy that you've been enjoying the boys on the road!


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